From RAY KUMAR
Martyn Kelly considered the lack of ‘proper psychological gestalt’ as
a more important factor limiting the performance of first-class research
in tropical Africa (Creating the right atmosphere, Forum, 7 April). My 25
years experience in the university system in tropical Africa has convinced
me that the lack of adequate funding is the single most important factor
militating against the performance of any kind of research.
Salaries paid to scientists are extremely poor (equivalent to Pounds
sterling 50-Pounds sterling 250 a month). Equipment, recent literature and
supporting facilities hardly exist in most universities due to the lack
of money. Most universities are turning out graduates who have done little
or no practical work.
In the late 1970s and early 1980s, during an oil boom, some Nigerian
universities turned out first-rate research. A privately run African centre
of excellence (International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology, Nairobi)
has shown what can be done by Third World scientists with modest financial
investments.
Statespeople who make grandiose statements about the development of
science and technology in their countries but provide few pennies for its
development are simply wasting their time.
Advertisement
Ray Kumar Port Harcourt, Nigeria
